The protests started because an accused Hong Kong man killed his pregnant girlfriend while on vacation in Taiwan. Because Taiwan and Hong Kong don’t have an extradition agreement, the government was unable to send him back to Taiwan to face trial. Hong Kong’s government proposed an extradition agreement where suspects would be sent back to Taiwan and tried for their crimes, however, this would also allow extradition in mainland China. This bill threatens to give China more power over Hong Kong because the bill exposes anyone in Hong Kong to China’s criminal justice system, could endanger dissidents, and potentially be used to target activists and journalists.
A Hong Kong man goes to Taiwan with his pregnant girlfriend and strangles her. Because Taiwan and Hong Kong don’t have an extradition agreement, the government was unable to send him back to Taiwan to face trial.
Carrie Lam's government introduced plans for changes to legislation that would allow for criminal suspects to potentially be extradited to China.
Nearly one million people marched in a generally peaceful rally to the government headquarters to show opposition against the proposed bill.
The police responded to a demonstration by firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the demonstrators.
Carrie Lam indefinitely delays the extradition bill.
Nearly two million people protested demanding the bill be withdrawn completely and demanding for Carrie Lam to resign.
This is the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the UK to China and Protesters stormed the Legislative Council (LegCo) building and destroyed pictures, sprayed graffiti on the walls, and defaced Hong Kong's regional emblem.
Carrie Lam reiterated that the extradition bill was "dead" and that government work on it had been a “total failure”, urging protesters to stop their actions. However, she still refrained from fully withdrawing the bill.
Demonstrators were attacked at a train station after returning from protesting by dozens of men wearing masks and white T-shirts, some armed with poles, in the Yuen Long neighborhood. The police were slow to respond and this sparked a massive backlash against the police as there was speculation that the police were cooperating with criminal gangs.
The protests took place for the ninth consecutive weekend and against, the police again fired tear gas, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds at protesters. Around time, being fired with tear gas and rubber bullets was the norm so many protesters were wearing masks and protective gear at every demonstration.
Protesters tried to bring the city to a halt by staging a general strike, disrupting more than 200 flights, occupying shopping malls and blocking roads and rail lines in seven districts. The police responded by firing 800 rounds of tear gas and arresting a multitude of people.
The protests moved into a 10th week without showing signs of dying down. The police fired tear gas at protesters in enclosed railway stations. That Sunday, a woman protester was shot in her eye and became a symbol of the protest movement.
Carrie Lam finally announced that she would withdraw the highly controversial extradition bill which had started the protests, however, her opponents said it was too little, too late.
The government invoked a colonial-era law, the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, to enforce a ban on face coverings at larger public gatherings and in public. The announcement provoked a strong reaction and led to clashes. Hong Kong became a tear gas-engulfed battlefield as protesters clashed with riot police officers in at least nine districts.
Chow Tsz-lok, a 22-year-old university student, died several days after falling from the third to the second floor of a parking garage lot near where the police clashed with protesters on November 4. His death is the first student death during the protests. The circumstances of his death are unclear, however, reports say he fell trying to escape the tear gas and fleeing from the police. Thousands of Protesters gathered across the city, taking part in memorial events and protests across the city that Friday. Thousands of people left flowers at the spot in which he fell at the car park. The following Monday, violent clashes paralyzed the city. Across the city, a man was set on fire after an argument with protesters.
Citywide protests erupted after riot police stormed the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Hong Kong universities became the centers of especially large protests in November after the death of a student, Chow Tsz-lok. Across the area, protesters abandoned their strategy of spontaneous demonstrations and began occupying several university campuses. Protesters at the Chinese University of Hong Kong disrupted traffic near University Station by throwing objects onto railway tracks. Police responded by firing rounds of tear gas in the campus, while the protesters responded with petrol bombs, slingshots and arrows. One officer was hit in the leg with an arrow. Police trapped the protestors, mainly made up of students, inside the university by shooting tear gas and rubber bullets on those who attempted to leave. Hundred protesters were trapped inside a university for consecutive days as police laid siege to the campus. More than 1,100 mostly young activists were arrested in what was widely seen as the police’s first major success against the movement. After the siege ended, during a two-day search of the campus, investigators found nearly 4,000 firebombs on the campus, among other weapons, such as other explosive items and bottles of corrosive liquids.
Beijing says it’ll impose national security legislation on Hong Kong, following the often violent anti-government movements and protests last year.
China’s parliament profusely approves imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference.